The hidden history of exploration

A major research project by the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG)and Royal
Holloway, University of London, highlights the pivotal role played by local
people and intermediaries such as interpreters in the history of global
exploration. Firstly, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary drink a celebratory
cup of tea at Camp IV in the Western Cwm - a glacial valley on Mount Everest
known as the Valley of Silence - after their successful ascent of the
world's highest peak in 1953. The ascent of Everest depended on close
working partnerships, as well as climbing skill and sophisticated equipment.
As Tenzing Norgay later recalled "All the way up and down we helped,
and were helped by each other – and that was the way it should be. But we
were not leader and led. We were partners." The men reached the summit
at 11.30 on the morning of 29 May after a gruelling climb up the mountain's
southern face, but only stayed a the top of the world for 15 minutes because
they were so low on oxygen.